How to Write a Resume ? Step by Step Guide for Freshers and Experienced People

Alright. So I am going to be honest with you. I have never really liked writing a resume because I have to worry about font, grammar, structure and in the end it all comes down to listing down my achievements and it hurts to find out that I don’t have many.

But achievements or no achievements, we need a job, right? because apart from the money it gets you, having a job in the early stages of your career makes you a professional, it makes you disciplined. And both of these combined, will get you closer to Wealth, Health and even Love!

First step to all of this is to write a resume. I know writing a resume sounds complicated but that’s what I am here for. So it doesn’t matter if you are a fresher or an experienced professional or a home-maker trying to find a part-time job.

Today, by the end of this article, you will be surprised to see how easy it is to write a resume that will get you an interview call. So in today’s article we are going to learn.. What is it that Interviewers look for in a resume? Second, we are going to learn how to structure a resume. Third, I will type a resume infront of you so that you know exactly what to put in which section.

But the most important point… in the end, I will give you a bonus tip that will take your resume to the next level! Before we begin, let me clarify that you are free to tweak your resume the way you want. Because there is no certified way to writing a resume.

The only thing that’s certified is this is that you and I will learn something new and useful every week. So if you want to learn things that haven’t been taught in school then make sure you read our blogs regularly.

Let’s begin! So what is it that Interviewers ‘Look For’ in a resume?

It is less about what is it that they ‘look’ for and more about what is it that Interviewers ‘see’.

For example, suppose this is the job that we are applying for, for the role of a Blockchain Developer.

Even though I took an example of an I.T job, you can use the same principles for Banking, Education, Hotel Management, Sales or any other job that you like. Now the problem is, no matter what job you are applying for there will be 100’s, if not 1000’s of people applying for the same job!

With these many profiles, the Interviewers will hardly spend around 6 seconds to look at your resume. It’s like being on Tinder. If your profile is not appealing at the first glance then you will be left-swiped right away because there are a lot of other profiles waiting to be reviewed which is why your resume should not be like a long boring list!

It should be like an advertisement… Short. To the Point and Crisp! And that brings us to the resume structure!

To help you understand the resume structure better, I am going to write it with you, Let’s use Google Docs because it’s free. You can use Microsoft Word or any other resume builder that you like.

Go to Google Docs and select the template that says ‘Resume’. As you can find, the structure is already built. Now let’s understand what to fill in these sections.

1. We are first going to build an experienced person’s profile
2. And then make a few changes to this profile so that it becomes a Fresher profile.

Let’s assume that we are going to apply for this role of a Blockchain Developer. Interestingly, even John has worked on Blockchain. So I am going to start by creating his profile.

Even though I am taking an I.T job example, you can use the same guidelines for any job in any field.

The first thing you need to write is your Name. Since I am building John’s profile, I am going to write his name.

After Name, is the Professional Title. This is where you use words or phrases that define you professionally like Problem Solver, Innovator, Mentor, Quick Leaner, FireFighter which basically means that you are quick at solving problems!

So here I am going to write Innovator, Mentor and Firefighter. I am writing Innovator because later I am going to mention a few Patents that he has. So make sure that you support whatever you write in your Professional Title throughout our resume.

Next is Contact Information and these are the things that you can mention.

First is Email ID.

All of us have had weird college IDs but please do not write ‘aawaraashiq@gmail.com’. It looks extremely unprofessional. Create a new ID that has your name and mention that, write your phone number

And next, mention any social media profiles that are relevant to the position you are applying to like your LinkedIn profile.

Or if you are applying for a Digital Marketing role then may be you can even mention your Twitter or Instagram handles. Since this is for an I.T job, I am going to mention his LinkedIn profile here and a SkypeID, just in case someone from overseas wants to conduct an interview over Skype.

And that is most of what you need to mention in your contact information.

Things that you don’t need to mention are: your marital status, religious affiliation, DOB or even your photo because all of this is unnecessary information taking up unnecessary space.

Next comes Experience.

Here you will mention your current job first and then go back and mention your old jobs in a reverse chronological order. So mention the name of the company, your job role and right beneath it, mention the time-period you’ve held that role for.

John has worked for 3 companies in the past so I’ll make 3 different sections. Suppose you were in the same company but have had different roles then you can have a separate section for each role.

Now that you have this template, under each section write down your responsibilities and key deliverables in a bullet point format. Remember this section is an opportunity to showcase how your experience is aligned to the position that you are applying for.

Since we are applying for the role of a Blockchain Developer, it makes sense to mention that he has led a Blockchain Research Group at his current company.

Remember to sprinkle the keywords mentioned in the job description throughout your experience section because that way the hiring manager will know that you have the experience that the team needs.

And second point, always try to be specific about your achievements.

Suppose you are applying for a Social Media role, then don’t just mention, ‘Managed a Facebook Page’, instead you can write, ‘Revamped a business page on Facebook that has led to over 70K followers.. (up by 40% in 2 months) and has led to a 4% increase on revenue.’

See the difference?

Because you have added a number to your accomplishment it gives the Hiring Manager confidence in your abilities. So try to add a number and quantify as many bullet points as possible.

Next is Education.

In case you have been working for quite sometime then it’s best to keep your education section short and sweet. Suppose you have been working for 6 years or more then it doesn’t make sense to mention your 10th and 12th percentage. Just mention the details of your last degree.

So he did his Bachelors from IIIT-H. So I’ll mention that. Beneath it, I’ll mention the time period and write after that in 3-4 bullet points, I’ll mention the highlights which is CGPA, any relevant Course Work or Honors and that’s it!

If you are a student, you’ll obviously add a lot more in the education section. We’ll come to that in a minute.

Next come Skills.

Typically for a Software Job, you can mention the Languages and Technologies that you know and rate them according to how well you know them. But make sure that you include the skills that have been mentioned in the job description.

So out of all the skills mentioned here, he knows Java, JavaScript, Blockchain, SQL. so I’ve mentioned them here along with a couple of other technologies.

If you are not from the Software field, then you can mention your Communication Skills, Critical Thinking Skills, Leadership Skills, Social Media Skills, Project Management Skills; basically do not forget to mention the skills that have been included in the job description.

Next is Additional Section.

This is the best time to brag about any awards, certifications, publications, patents, volunteer work done, languages that you know, extra-curricular activities, conferences/courses attended or any other hobbies that you have that are relevant to the position that you are applying to.

Next is Experience.

I know, if you are a fresher, there isn’t much that you can write under the Experience section but here are few things that you can mention.

If you are an Engineer then you would’ve done some Mini Projects in ever semester. This is the perfect place to mention all of that. Write the name of the project and in 1-2 lines describe what is that project about.

Mention any internships you’ve done, mention any paper you have worked on, with your faculty. Even if you used to take tuitions for kids or worked at McDonalds part-time to pay your college fees, mention that because it tells the Hiring Manager that you are committed and have developed a sense of professionalism early in your life.

Can i make my CV / Resume through online ?

Yes, you can create your CV or resume online. There are many websites that offer templates and tools to help you create a professional-looking CV or resume. Be sure to choose a website that is reputable and has a good reputation. Here we have listed some online websites that help you to create your resume online.

1. Zety: https://zety.com/cv-maker
2. CV Maker: https://cvmkr.com/
3. Resume.io: https://resume.io/
4. CV Online: https://cvonline.me/
5. Resume: https://www.resume.com/

Other tips at last:

• Keep your resume to 1-page, maximum.
• Always proof-read and double check your resume
• Always use active voice while writing

Video: The Urban Fight Youtube Channel